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Game of Thrones does GDPR!

For seven seasons, Game of Thrones fans have heard House Stark’s motto, ‘Winter is coming’ many a time, in fact, far too many to count.

Now, with season seven all played out, we can safely say that winter has well and truly arrived.

The same can be said for GDPR, businesses have been repeatedly told for several years now that the new legislation is coming, and in just seven months’ time, it will be upon us.

But what does it mean for businesses? Well, one thing’s for sure, contrary to popular belief, it won’t spell the end of some traditional marketing methods. Take cold calling, for instance, we’ve all heard that it’s dead more times than we’ve seen our favourite GoT characters suddenly ripped from our screens, never to be seen again.

The reality is that most of the people behind the claim ‘cold calling is dead’, use the tiniest fraction of information before they make a call, meaning that it’s no longer a cold call, so to speak. However, regardless of whether or not cold calling’s dead or alive, I’ve a feeling that B2B marketing will see it come back in a big way, so watch this space.

GDPR is coming

The sun may still be shining right now, but as the days grow colder, it’s essential companies start to think about how they will survive the long, cold winter once GDPR has been implemented. (According to many of today’s industry leaders, organisations should ideally be fully up to speed on the new legislation and what they need to do to make sure they’re GDPR-compliant).

The first step is to build awareness about GDPR and then thoroughly map the data you currently hold. B2B contact data reportedly decays by more than 30 per cent each year, with inaccurate data resulting in wasted resources, missed sales and lost opportunities. As well as arming themselves with accurate data (if they want to achieve the best possible results from their marketing campaigns) marketers also need to build an audit trail around how their data pre-GDPR was sourced and how it’s going to be sourced post-GDPR.

They also need to be transparent about who they’re choosing to share it with too. This is essential, as one of the main stipulations of GDPR, is that companies must obtain consent from each and every one of their prospects to market to them, as opposed to asking them to opt-out of marketing campaigns. Finding a cost effective and efficient way to keep their database contact records up-to-date will be central to achieving this compliance.

Life after the Red Wedding

When GDPR does finally land, it will undoubtedly bring with it some degree of disarray and chaos, it’s the very nature of change. And for change of this widespread scale, it’s inevitable that it will take organisations some time to fully bed in their new GDPR-compliant processes and procedures.

The impact won’t be as severe as the infamous Red Wedding scene from season three. It may be difficult to picture right now, with the big black cloud of GDPR looming, how marketing will look post-GDPR.

Marketing will continue beyond, although we may lose some of our favourite characters in our marketing strategy, give or take, along the way. However, it’s those companies that take the time to fully prepare now and make sure that their data is accurate as possible that stand to make the greatest advances once GDPR is upon us. They just simply need to decide which ‘marketing characters’ to invest in going forward. They should also be following these four steps too:

STEP 1:Fill your data stores now

Companies have just seven months to build their GDPR ramparts and, in the meantime, fill their boots using their traditional marketing methods. The challenge that most businesses face here is the quality of their existing data. How complete is your data? Are you regularly capturing new insights on your contacts and the companies they work for? Are you regularly updating your contact records with missing information? And are you monitoring if/when your contacts are changing jobs and who they’ve been replaced by? If you haven’t got complete or up-to-date records, it’ll hinder any advances you’re looking to make by May next year.

STEP 2: Incorporate the opt-in audit into your strategies

Come May 25 next year, businesses may not be able to market to any of their prospects, unless that customer has specifically opted in to their communications. Make sure you incorporate your opting in invites into any landing pages you may have and your customer privacy notices sooner rather than later. And, if you have the right predictive marketing technology in place, flag where you’ve obtained consent, so that if your contacts do move on, then you can immediately identify if you no longer have their consent.

STEP 3: Scope out your allies

In proving your audit trail, it’s critical you work with businesses who share the same level of appreciation when it comes to GDPR. If you’ve taken all of the steps that you need to in terms of your own protection against GDPR penalties, it would be a shame if you then let your suppliers be the chink in your armour.

STEP 4: Start testing new strategies

Whilst your competitors are still planning what they’re planning to do to protect themselves from the Long Winter, by starting preparations early, your fire will be roaring long before the Lannisters have lit their first match.

So, there you have it, GoT does GDPR well. While the long-awaited introduction of GDPR won’t involve half the degree of blood, guts and gore that can be found in many a GoT episode, there will, unfortunately, be some casualties. Make sure you’re not one of them.

For more details about the implications of GDPR or to discuss how to go about making sure your data is GDPR-ready, contact us on results@cyance.com or 01295 724120.